Last June I began the process of having dentures made in anticipation of having all my teeth pulled. Over the next 13 months, I had numerous appointments. The first group of these involved the measurement portion. Once the dentures were made and my teeth were removed, there were another 5 or so that centered around the idea of getting them to fit properly.
My final appointment in this long, arduous process was scheduled for Monday, August 16. My dentures were going to be relined into their more or less permanent state. However, the operative word in the first sentence of this paragraph is the word "was." I received a telephone call today from the denture clinic. I was informed that, as of July 1, Medicaid no longer will pay to have immediate dentures -- the kind I received -- relined.
"I'm stuck with these incomplete dentures?" I asked. No, not at all, came the reply. Medicaid will allow for me to have a complete set of dentures made.
Is this crazy or what?
Here I am one appointment away from finishing this process and it will only cost the state around $100, yet they are nixing this for a process that will mean several MORE appointments and an outlay of funds in the neighborhood of $1500 - $2000!
If the state government wasn't facing a several billion dollar shortfall, this would seem mildly wasteful. However, in light of the massive deficit, this is egregious times ten. It's like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Look, I understand that the state bigwigs may have decided that the original policy was not the most cost-effective or it wasn't serving clients in the best way possible. I have no issue with the decision to change policies. What I do find absolutely mind blowing is that the new policy covers everybody, regardless of where they are in the process.
It would make perfect sense, as of July 1, to mandate that anyone on Medicaid faced with the removal of all their teeth follow the traditional trajectory of denture preparation and not be fitted with immediate dentures. It would even make some sense to switch clients over to the "new process" who were in the very beginning stages of the "old process."
But it makes no sense -- particularly no ECONOMIC sense -- to move someone like me from track 1 to track 2. But that's what they're doing!!
Mind you, I haven't been all that happy with my immediate dentures and I certainly don't mind receiving a full pair as a replacement. I simply think it doesn't make a lick of economic sense in these desperate financial times.
My final appointment in this long, arduous process was scheduled for Monday, August 16. My dentures were going to be relined into their more or less permanent state. However, the operative word in the first sentence of this paragraph is the word "was." I received a telephone call today from the denture clinic. I was informed that, as of July 1, Medicaid no longer will pay to have immediate dentures -- the kind I received -- relined.
"I'm stuck with these incomplete dentures?" I asked. No, not at all, came the reply. Medicaid will allow for me to have a complete set of dentures made.
Is this crazy or what?
Here I am one appointment away from finishing this process and it will only cost the state around $100, yet they are nixing this for a process that will mean several MORE appointments and an outlay of funds in the neighborhood of $1500 - $2000!
If the state government wasn't facing a several billion dollar shortfall, this would seem mildly wasteful. However, in light of the massive deficit, this is egregious times ten. It's like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Look, I understand that the state bigwigs may have decided that the original policy was not the most cost-effective or it wasn't serving clients in the best way possible. I have no issue with the decision to change policies. What I do find absolutely mind blowing is that the new policy covers everybody, regardless of where they are in the process.
It would make perfect sense, as of July 1, to mandate that anyone on Medicaid faced with the removal of all their teeth follow the traditional trajectory of denture preparation and not be fitted with immediate dentures. It would even make some sense to switch clients over to the "new process" who were in the very beginning stages of the "old process."
But it makes no sense -- particularly no ECONOMIC sense -- to move someone like me from track 1 to track 2. But that's what they're doing!!
Mind you, I haven't been all that happy with my immediate dentures and I certainly don't mind receiving a full pair as a replacement. I simply think it doesn't make a lick of economic sense in these desperate financial times.
No wonder the right wingers are so skittish about anything resembling universal healthcare. Even a commie pinko hippie like me can see the folly of this exercise in government waste. Makes me wonder what the folks who make these decisions are smoking, and also, who's getting fat off this deal? No wonder we can't get anything resembling true progress in this country.
ReplyDeleteHI RT
ReplyDeleteGrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...........
no sense at all.
Love you
Gail
peace and hope......
no sense at all- not the first time most likely not the last.
ReplyDeletesomething ive been asking about for my own self was if there was any assistance for birth control. i have no health coverage whatsoever.
so, i cant get a little help to prevent- but they would pick up the tab for my pregnancy and then handle my childs healthcare till age 6+?
and if i get knocked up i wouldnt have to be paying the doc cash for some major issues im dealing with.... oh yea thats right im too poor to have another kid and having major physical issues so probably shouldnt carry a baby anyway. maybe i should get on birth control?
btw 'dont do it' wont fly with my husband or i.
ReplyDeleteand one of our kids was conceived somehow during a time when we always used condoms.